Process and apparatus for grinding and polishing glass



April 3, 1928. 1,665,117

F. E. SLOCOMBE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND POLISHING GLASS g glgfllfll g 2 1- -21 ,2 HYFI' 'JI! 'iii" i J 22 MW g 'm 2 I I%%N 12%" W11 W '%i% ii'i gm W" "Egg" I :Ey 18 33 1 0 E5525 E= 5 ,i 10

f zz/072507." W X/ZG/ MAL April 3, 1928. 1,665,117

F. E. SLOCOMBE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND POLISHING GLASS Filed Nov. 6. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 3, 1928.

F. E. SLOCCMBE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND POLISHING GLASS Filed Nov. 6. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 m r w i l i n n mfi 3% @wm [WZYZM April 3, 1928.

F. E. SLOCOMBE PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND POLISHING GLASS Filed Nov. 6. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT ore-ice,

FRANK EDWIN SLOCOMBE, F KIRK SANIDALL, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 PILKING- TON BROTHERS LIMITED, 0F LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMFANY.

PROCESSAND APPARATUS FOR GRINDING AND POLISHING GL ASS.

Application filed November 6, 1924, Serial No. 748,131, and in Great Britain November 10, 1928.

This invention relates to process and apparatus for grinding and polishing glass and has for its object an improved process and apparatus whereby the cost of manufacture is reduced.

According to this invention, each table on which the glass is laid, iscarried on -a travelling frame, hereinafter called the truck which is adapted to travel on rails past the diifcrent auxiliary apparatus which are required at diflt'erent stages of the grinding and polishing process, such as the sand and emery machines, the washing devices and the rouge supplylng apparatus.

The table is adapted to be rotated, and the grinding and polishing are effected by runners of the form customarily employed, which may be free to rotate or positively rotated and are provided with means whereby they may be raised and lowered.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view showing diagrammatically a grinding and polishing apparatus according to'the invention with rails and turntables;

Figure 2 is an end view of a truck with grinding apparatus, showing the rails in section and the means for travelling and rotating the table; n Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 2 showing the means for travelling and rotating the table, and the supporting rails;

Figure 4 is a plan v1ew of Figure 2 omitting the rails;

Figure 5 is a side view of an alternative form of combined grinding and polishing device with drip trays and cover shown in section; 1

Figure 6 is a section of the same taken on the crooked line AA of Figure 5, and

Figure 7 is a view on anenlarged scale of a detached part of Figure 5.

Referring to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4: of the drawings, the truck 1, carrying the table 2 is supported on rails 3 by wheels 4. Means are provided for causing the truck 1 to travel along the rails 3. The said means may be a motor 5 mounted on the truck 1 and turning one pairof wheels 4 through pinion 6, gear wheel 6, worm wheel 6" and worm in casing 9, 1 gear wheel 8 on worm shaft and pinion on motor shaft gearing into and behind wheel 8. Alternatively the said means may be external to the truck 1 such as an endless cable or rack with which the truck is adapted toengage.

travel of the truck along the short sides of the rectangle and, if desired, along portions of the long sides.

The travel of the truck 1 may be continuous or intermittent or continuous over certain portions of the rail track'and intermittent over other portions, but any intermit tencies are short in duration and on the whole the travel is continuous round and round therectangular track, so that a plurality of trucks can simultaneously travel round. carrying glass which undergoes in each circuit all the processes connected with grinding and polishing glass.

For each truck, each separate process is performed while the truck is travelling along a certain stretch of the track, and any external apparatus connected with the process is located adjacent to this stretch of the track. Thus, if rough sand grinding be performed while a truck travels between positions 11 and 12, the rough sand bin is located at 13 and is provided with means adapted to supp y sand to the table while the truck is travelling between the two said positions. 1

The grinding runners 14 are mounted in a frame 15 provided with wheels 16 adapted to run on a runway 17 (Figures 1 and 2%. The runway 17 is in the form of a rectang e with turntables 18 at its corners. Along the left hand side of the said rectangle, the runway 17 is above the track of the rails 3 along which the grinding is effected, so that Y the turntable 18 and it is then detachedirom the truck 1 and caused to travel by any convenient means along the other three sides of the rectangular runway 17 and is then attached to another truck 1.

Polishing runners 21 are mounted in a similar. frame 15 and travel along a runway 22 in the form of a rectangle similarly disposed with turntables 23 and having one of its sides positioned over the track of the rails 3 along which the polishing is effected. The travel and operation of the polishing runners 21 in their frame 15 along the runway 22 is similar to that of the grinding runners 14.

Each truck 1 therefore travels round the closed circuit of the rail track 3, while each grinding runner frame travels round the closed circuit of its runway 17, and each polishing runner travels round, the closed circuit of'its runway 22. I

Any of the rail track or runway turntables may be adapted to allow any truck or anyrunner frame to be shunted off the respective closed track to permit of rectification of the glass or repair.

The table 2 is rotated by menas mounted on the frame 1, such as-the motor 24 driving a worm wheel in casing 25, on the shaft 26 of the table.

The shafts 27 of the runners 14 are adapt ed to be raised and lowered by levers 28, -29 (Figure 3) the arms 28 engaging collars 30 on the shafts 27 in the customary manner. The ends of the arms 29 are provided with rollers 31 adapted to engage cams 32 supported on a. rail 33. The said cams 32 .are so disposed along the track that the runners 14 are automatically let down upon the glass when the truck 1 enters a stretch of the rail track at which a grinding or polishing operation is to be performed, and are automatically raised at the end of the said stretch to permit of the glass being washed before the subse uent operation. Hand wheels 34 are provi ed whereby the runners 14 may be raised independently of the cams 32. p

The runner frames 15 may he travelled along their runways 17 and 22 by any convenient means, such for instance as an endless cable along the straight portion of the return circuit of the runwa s, which is adapted to be gripped by a c utch on each frame, while the frames are moved by hand round the turntables and the-short end portions of the runways.

In the alternative form of the invention shown in Figures 5 and 6, the grinding and polishing runners are combined in a single frame which is permanently attached to the truck 1 and travels with it. The truck 1 is the same as that in the previously described form of the invention, except in regard to the uprights 20 ofthe latter, and it travels along the same rail track 3. The runways 17 and 22 for the grinding and polishing runners are however absent.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the grindingrunners 35 and the polishing runners 36 are fixed to shafts 37 and 38 respectively,

supported in a framework 39, adapted to rotate by means of the shafts 40 in bearings 41, which are adapted to slide vertically between two pairs of uprights 42 attached to the truck 1. The bearings 41 are supported between the uprights 42 by two screws 43. suspended from the cross member 44 and engaging with lugs 45 attached to the bearihgs 41. The two screws 43 can be rotated simultaneously by means of shafts 46 and bevel gears 47 and by such rotation the frame 39 can be lowered or raised to let the runners down on to the table or to lift them off it to a suflicient height to permit the rotation of the frame. By rotation of the frame through 180 from the position shown in the figures, the polishing runners 36 are brought into operative position over the table 2 in place of the grinding runners 35. The rotation of the frame 39'may be effected by any convenient device engaging the gear wheel 48. The runners 35 can be raised and lowered through the small distance required during the operations of grinding by the customary device of the, collars 49, lever arms 50 and 51 and operating rods 52 (shown only in Figure 5). are provided in connection with the polishing runners.

In order to prevent the dripping of abrasive onto the apparatus and table from the runners in the up er inoperative position, trays 53 with perip eral channels 54 are attached to the frame 39 in the ositions shown, and a cover 55 is adapte to de scend over the runners in the upper osition so that its downwardly-extending e ges dip into the channel 54 filled with water to constitute a water seal. The cover 55 is supported by lugs 56 with which the screws 43 engage. As shown in Figure 7 the portions of the screws-43 which engage with the lugs 56 are screw-threaded at a pitch considerably larger than are the portions which engage with the lugs 45 so that rotation of the screws 43 causes the cover 55 to rise or fall considerably more quickly than does the frame 39. The cover 55 thereby automatically descends over the runners 36 when the runners 35 are lowered into operative positions and automatically rises clear of the runners 36 when the frame 39 is raised prior to its rotation.

Similar devices By rotation of the frame 39, through 90, the table is left clear for examination and at the same time the surfaces of the runners are in position for easy examination.

The invention is not limited to the forms of construction shown and described and can be carried out in many different ways. For instance, the runways 17 and 23 may be omitted oVerthe stretch of rail track along which the grinding and polishing frames are attached tothe truck and .the said frames may, over these stretches, be supported by the truck.

Having described my invention, I declare that what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is i. In the process of the abrasive treatment of glass in which abrading runners operate on glass carried on rotating tables, travelling each abrading apparatus, comprising a table and its runners, during its operation, past the apparatus supplying the abrasive media.

2. In the process of the abrasive treatment of glass in which abrading runners operate on glass carried on rotating tables, travelling each table round a closed circuit and each runner round a closed circuit and travelling each abrading apparatus, comprising a table and its runners, during its operation, past the apparatus supplying the abrasive media.

3. Apparatus for the abrasive treatment of glass, comprising apparatus for supplying abrasive media, rotating tables on which the glass is laid, a truck carrying each table moving past the apparatus supplying the abrasive media, means on each truck adapted to rotate the table, rails on which the trucks travel, abrading runners adapted to operate on the glass and means for travelling together the trucks and the runners, during the operation of the runners on the glass.

4. Apparatus for grinding and plates of lass, of I the type in w ich the glass is lai on tables which are rotated under grinding and polishing runners to effect the grinding and polishing, comprising a truck carrying each table, means on each truck adapted to rotate the table, rails on which the trucks are adapted to travel, means operative to move the trucks along the rails,

a grinding runner frame and a polishing runner frame adapted to travel with each table during the operative course of each runner frame, a runway for the grinding runner frame and a runway for the polishing runner frame, the said runways forming each a closed circuit of which a portion is adapted to sup ort the runner frames while travelling wit the tables while the remainder is a return circuit.

5. Apparatus for grinding and polishing plates of under grindin and-polishing runners to effeet the grinding and polishing, comprising olishing glass, of the ty e in which the glass is laid on tables w ich are rotated a truck carrying each table, means on each truck adapted to rotate the table, rails on which the trucks 'areadapted to travel,

truck adapted to rotate the table, rails forming a closed circuit round which the trucks are adapted to travel, means operative to move the trucks along the rails, a grinding runner frame and a polishing runner frame,

a runway for the grinding runner frame and a runwayv for the polishing runner frame, the said runways forming each a closed circuit of which a portion is adapted to support the runner frames while travelling with the tables while the remainder is a return circuit, and means for attaching the grinding and polishing runner frames to each truck at the beginning their operative courses and detaching them at the end theirepkf. f h.

. pparatus or 'ndin and olis in plates of'glass, of the t ype in which thegla is laid on tables which are rotated under grinding and polishing runners to effect thegrinding and polishing, comprising a truck carrying each table, means on each track adapted to rotate the table, rails on which the trucks are adapted to travel, means operative to move the trucks along the rails,

a grinding runner frame and a polishing runner frame adapted to travel with each table during the operative course of each runner frame, runways on which the said frames are adapted to travel, means mounted on the runner frames adapted to raise and lower therunners, and stationary cam surfaces co-operating with said meansto effect such raising and owering.

8. Ap aratus for grinding and polishing plates 0 glass, of the type in which the glass is laid on tables which are rotated under grinding and polishing runners to effect the grinding and polishing, comprising a truck carrying each table, 'means on each truck adapted to rotate the table, rails forming a closed circuit round which the trucks are adapted to travel means operative tomove the trucks alon the rails,a grinding runner.

frame'and a po ishing runner frame adapted to travel with each table during the operative course of each runner frame, a runway for the grinding runner frame and a runway for the polishing runner frame, the said detaching them at the end thereof, means runways forming each a closed circuit of mounted on the runner frames adapted-to which a portion is adapted to support the raise and lower the runners, and stationary runner frames while travelling with the cam surfaces co-operating with said means tables while the remainder is a return cirto effect such raislng and lowering. Y cuit, means for attaching the grinding and In testimony whereof I have afiixed my polishing runner frames to each truck at signature hereto.

. the beginning of their operative coursesand FRANK EDWIN SLOCOMBE. 

